Sarah Grunau/ Houston Public Media
Former Houston City Councilwoman Letitia Plummer holds a seven-point lead against Republican candidate Orlando Sanchez in the race for Harris County judge, according to a new University of Houston Hobby School of Public Affairs survey.
The Harris County judge position has been held by a Democrat for the past seven years. The county judge acts as a county executive and the top elected leader of the five-member Harris County Commissioners Court, which oversees the third largest county in the nation.
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Plummer leads Sanchez, a former Harris County Treasurer, by seven percentage points among surveyed likely voters in the November election. But almost 50% of residents who responded to the survey do not know enough about each county judge candidate to have an opinion of them.
There’s bipartisan agreement among likely voters — about 63% of surveyed Democrats and 79% of surveyed Republicans — that the county is headed in the wrong direction. County Judge Lina Hidalgo, who announced last year she would not seek re-election for her seat, is viewed unfavorably among 63% of likely voters, according to the survey.
Sanchez, a Republican who in 2023 made an unsuccessful run for city controller, has positioned himself as a fiscally conservative candidate. He’s campaigned on reducing property taxes and speeding up delayed flood infrastructure projects across the county.
Plummer, who was first elected to an at-large position on the Houston City Council in 2020, has aimed at tightening the county’s spending by looking at where the most money is spent. Both candidates have disagreed with the court’s decision this year to boost property taxes by 7.6%.
According to the survey released Tuesday morning, 72% of likely county voters also disapprove of the property tax hike — including 92% of Republicans and 56% of Democrats. The tax hike comes at an additional cost of about $198 to residents this year.
RELATED: Harris County commissioners approve historic $3.1 billion budget, finalize tax hike
The commissioners who approved the property tax increase pointed to rising healthcare costs across the state for, in part, worsening the county’s finances. The court opted for Harris County to absorb those rising healthcare costs as county employees are supported by generous healthcare packages.
Democratic Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who is up for re-election in November, is leading by 12 percentage points against Republican candidate Richard Vega. Commissioner Lesley Briones is also leading her Republican opponent by eight percentage points to reclaim her seat.
Early voting in Harris County begins on Oct. 19. Election Day is Nov. 3.